


Somewhere Only We Know

by Decisions_Decisions



Series: A Chat with Myself [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Implied Relationships, Magical Realism, Mind Palace, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 04:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4507272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Decisions_Decisions/pseuds/Decisions_Decisions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Greg thinks talking to Anthea is the one thing that keeps him sane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somewhere Only We Know

Greg sat at a little wrought iron table watching as shadows of people walked by, some glowing red, some glowing blue, but most were more like silhouettes. It was strange to see people like this when he was so used to living breathing people. He remembered the first time he’d stepped into the real world and he saw how people never glowed. It had shocked him at the time, but he’d gotten used to real people soon enough and there were other benefits to living as a real person. One of those benefits being that he no longer turned into a goldfish when Mycroft got bored, outside of the mind palace at least. It was always a bit surreal to see fish swimming up and down the street even though he was used to it. 

He waited for his, for lack of a better word, partner to arrive as he enjoyed the very good coffee he could never afford in the real world. He was a bit early like he usually was and Anthea would probably arrive right on time, she liked her schedules. Greg took another sip of his coffee as Anthea seemed to appear right in her seat. Two bagels and cream cheese as well as a cup of tea prepared just the way Anthea liked it appeared on the table a moment later. They ate in silence for a while enjoying this little break from their normally hectic lives.

“Do you ever wonder if there’s anyone else like us?” Greg asked as he polished off the last of his bagel. 

She looked up at him with a raised brow and shrugged tapping away at her ever present phone with one hand as she held her cup with the other. “Does it really matter? There don’t have to be any others. We exist, that’s enough for me.”

“We aren’t supposed to.” Greg said watching the passing human light show with a critical eye waiting to see if anyone started swimming.

She sat down her tea and rolled her eyes scoffing. “Please don’t get all philosophical on me now. You’re not very good at it.” 

“Neither is Mycroft, we deal better with facts.” Greg laughed not sure if it really was funny or not, but it felt right to laugh all the same.

Anthea frowned. “What brought this on?”

Greg frowned wondering if he should tell her about what had been bothering him before mentally smacking himself for thinking he could ever keep anything from her. “I think John might be one of us, just not one of Mycroft’s. I think he’s Sherlock’s conscience or something.”

“Sherlock’s flatmate? What makes you say that? I’ve only met him once and he seemed normal enough, he even hit on me.” Anthea said her phone forgotten for the moment as she leaned forward resting her elbows on the table.

“Well Sherlock listens to him for one and he fits into his life like a puzzle piece. He’s able to handle dealing with Sherlock and all of his moods with ease. Sometimes he reminds me of Sherlock and at times it seems like he’s not really there. It’s like he fades into the background when he wants to and he can vanish off of Mycroft’s radar. Not many people can do that and part of me is hoping that he is just so that we aren’t completely alone in this.” Greg listed off his reasons as Anthea nodded along in agreement. 

“I can see your point, but it’s not like we can just ask him if he’s a real person or not.” She said with a smile. "He'd think we were crazy unless he really is Sherlock's."

“Yeah I can see that going over well.” Greg said dryly. 

“You’re right though, about us and out existence, part of me does want to know. Personally I don’t want to dig too deep it’s not that I think that it’s not our business to know why we exist. I just don’t want to do something that might take my life away from me and if you do something that exiles us back here forever I will find a way to destroy you.” She pointed the knife from her bagel threateningly at him.

Greg shrugged not at all bothered by the threat. “I’m not eager to give up my life either Anthea, how else could I keep an eye on Sherlock?”

“How is he?” Anthea asked sounding like she didn’t care at all.

Greg knew her better than that so he answered. “Miserable. Things have been hard on him since he came back and they’ve gotten worse now that John’s married Mary. I’ve been giving him cases, but he hasn’t been focused.”

“Mycroft’s upped his security again. I have a bad feeling that this isn’t going to end well.” Anthea said casually hiding any of the concern Greg was certain she felt.

“I’m not surprised. I’m certain that this whole mess with Sherlock is going to blow up in our faces and he’s thinking about Sherlock again isn’t he?” Greg asked feeling as though his mind was being steered to concern for Sherlock. 

“Of course he is, but Magnussen is the one that has Mycroft concerned. He’s trying to dig his claws into Sherlock and there’s not much we can do but let him.” Anthea said like it was just a statement of fact, but the tightness around her lips betrayed that.

“That snake doesn’t just have Mycroft concerned; I can feel how anxious this situation makes him. There’s something more going on there if he can actually make Mycroft nervous. I hope I never meet that man in person.” Greg shuddered with disgust and hatred. There were few people he hated, but Magnussen was definitely one of them.

“How’s Mycroft doing? I know he’s concerned about Sherlock, but how has he been in person lately?” He asked suddenly trying to distance himself from any thoughts of that man.

Anthea didn’t seem grateful to turn the conversation elsewhere, but the tightness faded. “He seems to be the same as he usually is, but he’s been on edge. He’s taken to carrying the rapier umbrella.”

“That bad huh?” Greg asked as he swirled the dregs around in his cup.

“It could be worse.” Anthea said her cup vanishing now that she was finished with it. “He’s still trying to help Sherlock without giving too much away.”

“That never turns out well, why won’t they just work together?” Greg groaned. 

“Because Sherlock is uncontrollable, he’ll do whatever he wants regardless of the consequences. He can’t follow orders, he’s a magnet for disaster, and he never listens when Mycroft is talking. I can keep going if you’d like.” 

“No I’m already aware of how difficult Sherlock is to work with. I put up with him for a living.” He stopped suddenly as a thought crossed his mind. “Would it be wrong if I tried to make Mycroft increase my pay for having to deal with Sherlock? I could use a better flat and I’m not going to move back in here.”

“I wouldn’t risk it, I’ve tried before.” Anthea said with a disappointed scowl. “All it got me was half a year of suspicious looks and interrogations disguised as questions.”

“That’s a shame, but you do get paid more than me, and Sherlock doesn’t call you every name starting with the letter a available under the sun.” He said sounding more and more annoyed with every word.

Anthea blinked looking more surprised than he’d ever seen her. “He still doesn’t know your name?”

“No as far as he’s concerned my name is Lestrade and my first name doesn’t exist. He literally called me Gavin to my face and he thought that I was using Greg as a disguise to spy on him.” Greg said rolling his eyes.

“Is that why you’re so convinced John is one of us.” She asked not even bothering to hide her giggles.

Greg sighed. “No, but at least it’d be proof that Sherlock can remember my name.”

“Well Mycroft knows your name, that's something.” Anthea said reaching across the table to take his hand with a little smile meant to encourage him.

“Mycroft knows everyone’s names.” He sighed as he tried not to think about what it meant that it did make him feel better.

Anthea laughed the sound ringing clear as a bell as she squeezed his hand. “No he doesn’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> Mycroft's a bit different than Sherlock, he has his dark parts, but for the most part he's a very controlled person. I think it has more influence over him which is why I chose Anthea. She is the representation of his self control and Greg is the representation of his heart. It's no coincidence that Greg let's Sherlock on his cases.  
> There may or may not be more chapters of this, but for now it's complete.


End file.
